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Wild Chimpanzees May Get Tipsy from Fermented Fruit

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Two male chimpanzees consuming fruit resembling evergreen plums from Parinar excelsa trees in Taï National Park, Ivory Coast.

Aleksey Maro/UC Berkeley

Wild chimpanzees forage for fermented fruits, consuming the equivalent of two glasses of wine daily, adjusted for their body size relative to humans.

It has long been recognized that many primates, including chimpanzees, consume substantial alcohol from diets rich in ripe fruits and other vegetation. Some suggest this could explain the human affinity for alcoholic drinks.

Alec Malo at the University of California, Berkeley, and his team sought to quantify the ethanol intake of chimpanzees by collecting fruits from two locations frequented by wild populations and measuring their alcohol content.

The research focused on two habitual populations: Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi) in Ngogo, Uganda, and Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in the Tai Chimpanzee Project, Ivory Coast.

The researchers first observed the fruits being consumed by the chimps via camera traps and only collected those they confirmed were targeted. For fruits in the canopy, they gathered only samples that had recently fallen or were seen in the fall.

Eastern chimpanzees preferred ripe fruits from fig trees (Ficus mukuso), while Western chimpanzees often favored Guinea plums (Parinari excelsa) and fruits from the bitterburk tree (Sacoglottis gabonensis).

The study determined an overall alcohol concentration of roughly 0.3-0.4% in the fruit. Wild chimpanzees consume about 10% of their body weight in fruit pulp daily, Malo explains. They calculated that the chimpanzees ingest around 14 grams of pure ethanol per day at both sites.

A 125 ml glass of wine at 12.5% contains about 12 grams of ethanol. “This also accounts for the fact that chimpanzees average 40 kilograms versus 70 kg for humans,” says Malo. “Thus, we can assert that chimpanzees consume the equivalent of two glasses of wine each day.”

While chimpanzees and humans diverged millions of years ago, both likely encountered fermented fruits similarly, Malo notes.

“These findings indicate that our ancestors were similarly exposed to dietary alcohol,” he states. “The drunken monkey hypothesis suggests this exposure may have evolved an association between alcohol consumption and the rewards from fruit sugars, explaining humanity’s attraction to alcohol today.”

To gauge how much alcohol chimpanzees have in their systems, Malo collected urine samples beneath them, using an umbrella for protection. He’s currently analyzing this data.

Miguel Rulente, from the University of Girona in Spain and not part of the study, states that this research offers the first quantitative estimate of daily ethanol consumption in wild chimpanzees. “It supports the notion that alcohol exposure has deep evolutionary roots within primate diets and possibly influenced human evolution,” he asserts.

However, he cautions that this study has limitations in its implications for humans. “Unlike humans, ethanol consumption in apes is incidental and not intentional, making the leap from natural exposure to our species’ addiction challenging,” he adds.

Neanderthals, Ancient Humans, Cave Art: France

Join new scientist Kate Douglas on a captivating exploration of key Neanderthal and Upper Paleolithic sites across southern France, spanning from Bordeaux to Montpellier.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Database of Small Fruit Flies

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For over a century, humble fruit flies have paved the way for many significant scientific breakthroughs. This small insect has helped researchers understand that X-rays can cause genetic mutations, with genes being passed from parents to children through chromosomes. A gene known as period helps our bodies maintain time; disruptions to this internal clock can lead to jet lag and increase the risk of neurological and metabolic diseases. These findings, along with nearly 90,000 other studies, are part of an essential online database called FlyBase, which researchers utilize daily to design new experiments more quickly. These tests could help explore the underlying causes of diseases and develop new treatments. Science builds on previous insights, and a comprehensive repository of past advances serves as a catalyst for future discoveries.

The website receives approximately 770,000 page views each month from scientists around the world, facilitating the development of personalized treatments in rare cases, modeling neurodegenerative diseases in humans, and identifying candidates for screening conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. However, its vital resources are now facing potential layoffs that threaten its future and the ability to enhance research efficiency. This spring, the Trump administration withdrew grants used to maintain FlyBase as part of a $2.2 billion budget cut at Harvard University.

“I use FlyBase every day, and it’s incredibly essential,” said Celeste Berg, a professor of genomic sciences at the University of Washington. “What we know about human genes and how they function comes from model systems like Drosophila.” Humans share about 60% of our genes with the fruit fly known scientifically as Drosophila melanogaster. FlyBase’s current stability underscores how interconnected and interdependent research efforts are, highlighting how funding for one institution can have global repercussions. Over 4,000 labs utilize FlyBase.

Harvard received approximately $2 million annually in federal funds to maintain FlyBase, which constitutes a majority of the website’s overall operating budget. However, the University of New Mexico, Indiana University, and the University of Cambridge in the UK are partners and beneficiaries in assisting Harvard with FlyBase management. “This doesn’t just affect Harvard,” stated Brian Calvi, a biology professor at Indiana University who is part of the FlyBase management team. “The ripple effects extend to the international biomedical research community.”

According to Norbert Perimon, a professor of developmental biology at Harvard, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences temporarily funded FlyBase, but that support will cease in October. Earlier this month, a judge ordered the Trump administration to restore funding for Harvard researchers who lost the grant, but the funds have not yet been allocated to FlyBase, Perimon noted. The administration has promised to appeal decisions that could block funding flows. The White House did not respond to requests for comment, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the National Institutes of Health, declined to comment.

The Transmitter, a neuroscience news site, was the first to report the layoffs at FlyBase. The Harvard Crimson reported on the decision of Harvard’s School of Arts and Sciences not to extend provisional funding. Calvi mentioned that the FlyBase grant covered full or partial salaries for eight individuals at Harvard, three in Indiana, five in Cambridge, and one at the University of New Mexico. While Indiana and Cambridge have secured some funding to operate programs until next year, the New Mexico position ended in August.

Operating since 1992, FlyBase has been funded by the federal government for over three decades. It curates and summarizes research papers, organizes findings on specific genes, and catalogs information on genetically modified fruit flies to understand how particular genes lead to normal development. The fruit fly is the primary animal model for biomedical research as scientists have been able to map the brain to the genome, and it is relatively easy to handle. Berg, an avid FlyBase user and a professor at Genome Sciences, studies human development and how cells form organs. FlyBase allows researchers to search for and identify genes of interest for their experiments. Subsequently, they test how altering the expression of these genes affects cell placement. Thousands of fruit fly papers are added and summarized in FlyBase each year. Without FlyBase, Berg cautioned that researchers and clinicians could struggle to keep pace and miss crucial connections regarding specific genes.

Researchers from the Undiagnosed Disease Network employ FlyBase to determine whether pediatric genetic mutations contribute to rare, unknown diseases. They identify genetic mutations in patients and compare those with previous studies of those genes in flies. FlyBase also offers crowdfunding support on its website. “Given the importance of FlyBase to the broader U.S. and international scientific research community,” stated James Chisholm, spokesman for the Faculty of Arts at Harvard University. Two staff members from Harvard have already been laid off from FlyBase positions, with six more slated for layoffs in late September and early October, according to Perimon. “If we can’t retain key personnel, it’ll be very difficult to get people back with the knowledge necessary to keep the database operational,” Perimon remarked. “That would mark the end of FlyBase as we know it.”

Funding disruptions threaten plans to relocate FlyBase data to a new long-term home called the Genome Resource Alliance. The fruit fly, along with rats, mice, and worms, is one of several common “model organisms” used in labs to build the foundation for understanding human biology. The National Institutes of Health has allocated $5 million annually since 2017 to merge several databases, including FlyBase, WormBase, and Mouse Genome databases. Each of these contains information that human health researchers can cross-reference to study genes critical to human health more effectively. “If you’re studying human genes and need to access all existing information, you must visit all of these websites. I want one-stop shopping,” said Paul Sternberg, a professor of biology at the California Institute of Technology. The alliance’s budget expired on June 30, and Sternberg noted that they are awaiting a reclamation decision from the NIH. He mentioned that the funding disruption at FlyBase represents a new and unexpected challenge. “We need to move quickly, but with our staff and energy dwindling, we are at risk,” Sternberg expressed. “We can’t afford any additional obstacles.”

FlyBase had planned to merge with the Alliance in 2029. Now, Calvi and others are advocating for an accelerated merger before FlyBase’s financial runway disappears. Any donations the organization is soliciting are aimed at helping cover operational costs. “So far, we’ve raised under $100,000,” Calvi stated regarding the crowdfunding efforts. “We likely need a million.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

A Fruit and Vegetable-Rich Diet May Enhance Sleep Quality

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A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Chicago School of Medicine and Columbia University revealed that increasing fruit and vegetable intake to five cups daily, as recommended by dietary guidelines, is linked to a 16% enhancement in sleep quality.

Borge et al. Increasing fruit and vegetable intake during the day was found to be associated with improved sleep that same night. Image credit: Guillermo Gavilla.

Observational studies have shown that diets of high quality correlate with better sleep quality.

Despite this, a deeper comprehension of this relationship is essential, as dietary changes could represent novel and natural methods for enhancing sleep.

“We have been striving to maximize our lives,” stated Dr. Esla Tasari, director of the Sleep Center at the University of Chicago.

“The temporal associations and objectively measured outcomes from this study are significant in addressing gaps in crucial public health knowledge.”

Earlier observational research indicated that higher consumption of fruits and vegetables was connected to improved self-reported overall sleep quality, but this latest study is the first to establish a temporal link between specific daily food choices and objectively measured sleep quality.

Healthy young adults in this study recorded their daily food intake through an app and wore wrist monitors to allow researchers to obtain objective measurements of their sleep patterns.

The researchers focused on sleep fragmentation, which indicates the frequency of awakenings during sleep or transitions into deep sleep throughout the night.

They discovered that meal choices had significant correlations with differences in sleep quality the following night.

Participants consuming more fruits and vegetables during the day experienced deeper, more uninterrupted sleep that night, similar to those who included healthy carbohydrates like whole grains.

Based on their findings and statistical modeling, scientists estimate that those who adhere to the CDC’s recommendation of five cups of fruits and vegetables per day could see a 16% improvement in sleep quality compared to those who do not consume these foods.

“A 16% difference is substantial,” said Dr. Tasari.

“It’s remarkable that such significant changes can be detected within just 24 hours.”

Future studies will aim to establish causal relationships, expand the findings to diverse populations, and explore the underlying mechanisms of digestion, neurology, and metabolism that may clarify the positive effects of fruits and vegetables on sleep quality.

Nevertheless, based on current evidence, the authors strongly recommend maintaining a diet rich in complex carbohydrates, fruits, and vegetables for optimal long-term sleep health.

“They are making a difference,” remarked Dr. Marie Pierre St. Onge, director of the Center for Sleep and Circadian Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

“Minor adjustments can impact your sleep. It’s empowering to know better rest is within your control.”

The study was published in the journal Sleep Health this month.

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Header L. Boge et al. We anticipate that increased daytime intake of fruits and vegetables will lead to less disrupted nighttime sleep in younger adults. Sleep Health Published online on June 11th, 2025. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2025.05.003

Source: www.sci.news

Studies Indicate Regular Fruit Consumption by Mastodons in South America

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Gigantic herbivores in the Americas vanished roughly 10,000 years ago, disrupting the long-range seed dispersal of sizable fleshy plant species. The Anachronistic hypothesis of the Neotropics, proposed in 1982, posits that large fruits evolved to attract these massive animals. While this idea accounts for several significant adaptations in “megafaunal fruit” plants, it lacks strong evidence. Recently, researchers from Chile, Spain, and Brazil uncovered fossil evidence of frugivory, pointing to the existence of the extinct South American species Notiomastodon platensis. Their findings indicate that the extinction of this species and its relatives heightens the risk of giant fruit plants becoming extinct in certain South American regions.

Diversity of extinct mammals inhabiting the environment of Lake Tagua, Chile. Image credit: Mauricio Alvarez.

“In 1982, biologist Daniel Jansen and paleontologist Paul Martin proposed groundbreaking ideas, suggesting that many tropical plants developed large, sweet, colorful fruits to attract large animals like mastodons, native horses, or giant herds,” said iphes-cerca and colleagues.

“The theory, known as the anachronism hypothesis of the Neotropics, has remained unverified for over four decades.”

“Our research provides direct fossil evidence to substantiate this concept.”

In this study, Dr. González-Gurda and co-authors examined 96 fossil teeth from the Pleistocene mastodon, Notiomastodon platensis.

These fossils were collected over a distance of more than 1,500 km, spanning from Los Bilo to Chiloe Island in southern Chile.

Nearly half of the specimens originated from well-known sites such as Lake Tagua, an ancient basin abundant with Pleistocene fauna located in the current O’Higgins region.

To understand the lifestyle of Notiomastodon platensis, various techniques were utilized including isotopic analysis, microscopic examination of dental wear, and fossil calculation analysis,” the authors stated.

“We discovered typical starch residues and plant tissues of fleshy fruits, including the Chilean palm (Jubaea chilensis),” added Professor Florent Rivals, a researcher at ICREA, Iphes-Cerca, and Rovira I Virgili University.

“This directly confirms that these animals regularly consumed fruit and contributed to reforestation.”

“Stable isotopic analysis enabled us to reconstruct the animal’s habitat and diet with high accuracy,” noted Dr. Ivan Ramirez Pedraza, a researcher at Ifes Serca and Rovira I-Vilgiri University.

“The data points to a forest ecosystem rich in fruit resources, where mastodons roamed across long distances, aiding in seed dispersal. Its ecological role remains pivotal.”

“Dental chemistry offers us a direct glimpse into the past,” commented Dr. Carlos Tornero, a researcher at Ifes Cerca and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

“Combining various evidence allowed us to strongly affirm the critical role they played within these ecosystems.”

The researchers also employed machine learning models to assess the current conservation status of megafauna-dependent plants across different regions of South America.

Their findings are intriguing: in central Chile, 40% of these species currently face threats. This ratio is four times higher than that of tropical regions where animals like tapirs and monkeys continue to function as alternative seed dispersers.

“If the ecological connection between plants and animals is completely severed, the repercussions will be evident for thousands of years,” states ecosystem researcher Andrea Leuza.

Species like the Gomortega (Gomortega keule), the Chilean palm, and the Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria araucana) are now surviving in small, fragmented populations with low genetic diversity.

“They are extinct interacting creatures.”

The survey results were published today in the journal Nature’s Ecology and Evolution.

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E. González-Guarda et al. Fossil evidence of material frugivory and its lasting impact on pre-American ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol Published online on June 13th, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41559-025-02713-8

Source: www.sci.news

Eating fruit, fiber, caffeine, and dairy products linked to reduced risk of tinnitus

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The key underlying mechanisms may include the protective effects of these diets on blood vessels and nerves, and their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, according to new systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Increased consumption of fruit, dietary fiber, dairy products and caffeine may be associated with a lower risk of tinnitus. Image credit: SERP PAE.

Tinnitus is characterized by perceived sounds such as buzz, cicada, and currents, and occurs without external auditory stimuli.

It is associated with pain, depression, anxiety, stress, and in severe cases suicide, which has a major impact on the overall quality of life.

Recent epidemiological data suggest a globally pooled prevalence of approximately 14.4% in adults and 13.6% in children and adolescents.

The prominent prevalence of tinnitus and its major impact on life and mental well-being is becoming increasingly important medical and social concerns.

The origin of tinnitus remains elusive and involves a variety of factors.

Some researchers suggest neurological dysfunction or circulation problems in the inner ear, abnormal neural activity in the central auditory pathways, and irregular activity in nonauditory brain regions such as the anterior edge, anterior cingulate cortex, and thalamus.

Dieting can have a major impact on tinnitus, but it remains unclear which specific foods will aggravate or alleviate tinnitus symptoms.

In their review and meta-analysis, Dr. Menni Chang and his colleagues at the traditional Chinese Medical University University University searched a research database looking for research linking tinnitus and diet in adults published by May 2024.

They found eight observational studies, including 301,533 individuals who evaluated 15 dietary factors using a quality questionnaire suitable for inclusion in the analysis.

Dietary factors include carbohydrates, caffeine, eggs, fruits, fiber, fat, meat, protein, sugar, fish, vegetables, and dairy products.

The combined findings revealed that increased consumption of fruit, dietary fiber, dairy products and caffeine is associated with a decrease in the incidence of tinnitus.

These reductions were 35% for fruit intake, 9% for dietary fiber, 17% for dairy products, and 10% for caffeine intake.

Although no association was found between other dietary factors and tinnitus, the results were inconsistent after further analysis, the authors point out that the association between caffeine intake and tinnitus is controversial.

The authors acknowledge that the observational design of the included studies did not establish causal relationships, and that a relatively small number of included studies may have led to certain traditional beneficial dietary factors (such as vegetables and eggs) not showing significant differences.

“The major underlying mechanisms may include the protective effects of these diets on blood vessels and nerves, as well as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties,” they said.

“A further extensive research is needed to complement and verify the relationship between dietary intake and tinnitus.”

Their paper It will be displayed in the journal BMJ Open.

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M.Chan et al. 2025. 15 common dietary factors and tinnitus relationships: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. BMJ Open 15: E091507; doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-091507

Source: www.sci.news

Research shows that consuming citrus fruit can help protect against depression by influencing the gut microbiome

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New research reveals a potential protective role for citrus fruits in preventing depression. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a type of bacteria found in the human intestine, and its metabolic activity, may influence the impact of citrus fruits and their flavonoids on mood.

Samuthpontorn et al. We report that citrus intake and its ingredients are positively associated with changes in abundance of 15 intestinal microbial species, including reduced risk of depression and enrichment Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Image credit: Hans.

Depression is a widespread and debilitating condition that affects more than 280 million individuals around the world.

The exact cause of depression is unknown, and treatment is often ineffective.

70% of patients with depression are unable to respond to initial antidepressant treatment and experience unbearable side effects of the drug.

Diet may be a promising tool for preventing and managing depression.

Mediterranean diets are associated with a nearly 35% reduction in the risk of depression, and similar diets show a reduction in mood symptoms.

While the specific food groups underlying these findings remain unknown, recent studies have linked citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, with a reduced risk of depression.

However, the mechanisms explaining the relationship between diet and depression prevention remain unclear.

In a recent study, Dr. Raaj Mehta, a medical instructor at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, along with colleagues, analyzed the interactions between citrus consumption, gut microbiome, and risk of depression in over 32,427 participants.

They prospectively examined the long-term effects of citrus intake on depression, the abundance of gut microbial species, and the potential metabolic pathways related to depression.

“I was collaborating with a talented postdoc named Chatpol Samuthpontorn. He came across a paper from 2016 suggesting that citrus fruits could reduce the risk of depression,” explained Dr. Mehta.

“This finding intrigued us, as we had access to extensive datasets that could help us investigate further.”

“One of these datasets was the Nurse Health Study II (NHS2), which began in 1989 to identify risk factors for major chronic diseases in women.”

“We found evidence in this dataset that nurses who consumed higher amounts of citrus fruits had a lower incidence of depression in the future.”

The authors found that consuming one medium orange per day could reduce the risk of developing depression by about 20%.

“When examining total fruit and vegetable consumption, or other individual fruits like apples and bananas, we did not observe a significant relationship with depression risk,” Dr. Mehta noted.

A unique aspect of this study was that a subset of NHS2 participants provided stool samples over a year for researchers to analyze.

“We used DNA sequencing results from these stool samples to identify links between citrus intake and specific bacterial species in the gut microbiota,” said Dr. Mehta.

“One bacterial species, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, stood out.”

“People who were not depressed had higher levels of this bacterium, and consuming more citrus was also linked to increased levels of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.”

“This bacterium may play a key role in connecting citrus consumption with good mental health.”

“We also investigated similar studies involving men, as NHS2 only included women, and found an inverse correlation between Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and depression risk scores in this group,” Dr. Mehta added.

“This raises the question: Does Faecalibacterium prausnitzii contribute to positive mood?”

“One possible explanation is that these bacteria use metabolic pathways, such as the S-adenosyl-L-methionine cycle I pathway, to influence the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine in the intestine,” Dr. Mehta explained.

“These neurotransmitters not only influence digestion but can also travel to the brain, where they affect mood.”

“We hope our findings encourage further research into the link between diet and mental health,” Dr. Mehta stated.

“People generally understand that food can impact mood, but researchers are just starting to unravel the specifics.”

A paper detailing these findings was published in the journal Microbiome.

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C. Samuthpontorn et al. 2024. F. Prausnitzii Potentially modulates the association between citrus intake and depression. Microbiome 12, 237; doi:10.1186/s40168-024-01961-3

Source: www.sci.news

Fruit bats demonstrate episodic memory and mental time travel capabilities, study reveals

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Episodic memory and mental time travel have been considered uniquely human traits. This view has begun to change with the development of behavioral criteria to assess what is called episodic memory in animals. Key findings range from evidence of “what, where, when” memory in jays, mice and bees to episodic memory and future-oriented behavior in wild, free-foraging animals. In a new study, scientists investigated episodic memory and future-oriented behavior in wild, free-foraging animals. Egyptian fruit bat (Rusetus aegyptiacus)The team found that fruit bats rely on mental time maps to display future-oriented behaviour when foraging, and that time-mapping ability requires experience and is lacking in inexperienced bats.

Egyptian fruit bat (Rusetus aegyptiacus) track tree phenology and estimate fruit availability since their previous visit. Bats exhibit future-oriented behavior, flying to trees rich in specific proteins, while flying past many familiar sugar-rich trees. Young bats must learn tree phenology through experience. Image courtesy of Harten others., doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.046.

“For many years, the cognitive abilities to recall and plan personal experiences (episodic memory) have been thought to be uniquely human,” Tel Aviv University.

“However, a growing body of research suggests that various animals also have such abilities, although nearly all of these studies have been carried out in laboratory settings, as field studies on this issue are difficult to conduct.”

“To test these capabilities in wildlife, we designed a unique experiment using a wild colony of flying foxes.”

The researchers surmised that bats that depend on fruit trees for survival need to develop the ability to track food availability both spatially (where are the fruit trees?) and temporally (when does each tree bear fruit?).

As you navigate a landscape with numerous fruit and nectar trees, you'll need to mentally keep track of resources in order to revisit them at the right time.

To test this hypothesis, they fitted each bat with a small, high-resolution GPS tracker, allowing them to record their flight routes and the trees they visited over several months.

The vast amount of data collected in this way was thoroughly analyzed, yielding surprising results.

“Our first research question was: do bats form mental maps of time?” says Dr Lee Harten from Tel Aviv University.

“To investigate this issue, we confined bats to their colonies for various periods of time, ranging from one day to a week.”

“We wanted to see if the bats would recognise that time had passed and behave accordingly.”

“We found that after one day in captivity, the bats would return to the trees they had visited the previous night. But after a full week, the older bats, based on their past experience, began to avoid trees that had stopped bearing fruit in the meantime.”

“In other words, they could estimate how much time had passed since they last visited each tree, and thus know which trees only bore fruit for a short time and were no longer worth visiting.”

“Younger, inexperienced bats were unable to do this, suggesting that this is an acquired skill that must be mastered.”

“The first research question was about past experience, but the second question was about the future. Do bats exhibit future-oriented behavior? Can they plan for the future?”

“To address this issue, the researchers observed the route each bat took to reach the first tree in the evening, which could indicate a plan made before leaving the colony.”

“We found that bats usually fly directly to specific trees they know, sometimes up to 20-30 minutes away,” said Dr Chen Xin from Tel Aviv University.

“They're hungry, so they fly faster the further away the trees are, which suggests they're planning where they're going.”

“Furthermore, because they are so focused on their chosen target, they pass by other trees and even good sources of information that they only visited yesterday, demonstrating their ability to postpone gratification.”

“We also found that the first bats to leave the colony chose trees with fruits high in sugar, while those who left later sought out fruits with protein.”

The findings suggest that bats plan their foraging before they leave the colony, knowing exactly where they'll be flying and what nutrients they'll be looking for.

“The gap between human and animal cognition is one of the most fascinating questions in science,” Professor Yobel said.

“Our study demonstrates that flying foxes are able to carry out highly complex decision-making processes involving three questions that demonstrate cognitive capabilities: 'where?' (the location of each tree), 'when?' (when the trees will bear fruit) and 'what?' (what nutrients the trees provide, sugars or proteins).”

“Once again, the gap wasn't clearly carved out, and we find that humans are not as special as some think.”

“Apparently, humans and animals all lie on a spectrum, and almost all human abilities can also be found in animals.”

a paper The findings were published in the journal. Current Biology.

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Lee Harten othersTime mapping and future-oriented behavior in free-ranging wild fruit bats. Current BiologyPublished online June 20, 2024; doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.046

This article is a version of a Tel Aviv University press release.

Source: www.sci.news

Study suggests that high consumption of fruit may lower risk of depression

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A new study led by scientists at the University of New South Wales confirms that eating fruit can help ward off depression – but eating vegetables does not.

High fruit intake is associated with a reduced risk of developing depression.

Depression is a major public health concern: the global impact of depressive disorders is estimated to be over 50 million years of life lived with disability, making depression the largest contributor to non-fatal disease burden.

More than 80% of this burden is borne by low- and middle-income countries.

Compared with depression in younger adults, depression in older adults has a greater impact on physical and cognitive abilities and is associated with reduced quality of life and increased all-cause mortality.

A growing body of evidence suggests that diet, particularly increasing fruit and vegetable intake, may be important in reducing the risk of depression.

“The aim of this new study was to examine the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and depression in adults aged 45 and over,” said researcher Dr Annabel Mattison, from the University of New South Wales.

The study involved 7,801 non-depressed, community-dwelling adults from multiple sites across six continents, including the United States, Sweden, Brazil, Nigeria, Malaysia and Australia.

The results showed a beneficial association between higher fruit intake and a lower risk of depression over a nine-year period.

“This intriguing finding of a protective relationship between fruit consumption and risk of depression points to the need for greater emphasis on diet in healthcare,” said Dr Mattison.

The results suggested a benefit to vegetable consumption, but the benefit was not statistically significant.

“The reason we found a beneficial association with fruit consumption but not with vegetable consumption may be because fruits are typically consumed raw, whereas vegetables are typically consumed cooked, which may affect their nutritional value,” Dr Mattison said.

“Fruit and vegetable intake was self-reported via a comprehensive food frequency questionnaire, a short food questionnaire, or a dietary history.”

“Depressive symptoms were assessed using validated scales, and depression was defined by applying validated cut-offs.”

“We used Cox regression to examine the association between baseline fruit and vegetable intake and incident depression over 3- to 9-year follow-up periods.”

It has been suggested that the high antioxidant, dietary fiber, and vitamin content of fruits and vegetables may have beneficial effects on depression through a variety of mechanisms, including their role in inflammation, oxidative stress, and gut microbiota.

Because fruits and vegetables contain different nutrients, it is also possible that different types of fruits and vegetables may have different effects on depression risk.

The evidence that citrus fruits and green leafy vegetables reduce the risk of depression is particularly strong.

“Future studies that take into account consumption of different types of fruit and vegetables using standardized measures and focus on a larger number of older people, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, are definitely needed,” Professor Henry Brodaty, from the University of New South Wales, said.

“The expanding research currently being conducted into genes associated with dietary intake provides a promising avenue for influencing fruit and vegetable intake.”

“To better understand the association, the types of fruits and vegetables consumed also need to be taken into account, and studies need to be designed to be more comparable across cohorts.”

of study Published in Journal of Affective Disorders.

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Annabelle P. Mathison others2024. Associations between fruit and vegetable intake and incident depression in middle-aged and older adults in 10 diverse international longitudinal cohorts. Journal of Affective Disorders 359: 373-381; doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.05.096

Source: www.sci.news

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster employs multiple senses to detect surrounding scents.

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Animals have various ways to detect chemicals in their environment, which differ depending on the species. Mammals use their tongues to taste, while fish and other aquatic creatures use their skin to taste. Insects, on the other hand, have taste buds not only inside their mouths but also outside their bodies.

Researchers have discovered that fruit flies, scientifically known as Drosophila melanogaster, have developed unique ways to utilize their senses of smell and taste to locate food and avoid dangers in diverse habitats. By exploring how fruit flies’ senses have evolved, scientists aim to uncover how these insects have adapted to their surroundings.

To study the sensory capabilities of fruit flies, researchers at the University of Lussanne in Switzerland compared the smells and tastes of different fruit fly species. They collected five essential body parts related to the flies’ senses: 1) larvae head, 2) egg-laying part, 3) front legs, 4) antennae, and 5) mouthparts with palpation structures. These body parts were collected from six closely related species of fruit flies living in various environments and consuming different diets.

The researchers separated male and female fruit flies into three replicates for each sex and species. They anesthetized the adult flies with CO2 to collect samples without causing harm. They separated larvae from their food source and removed their heads for analysis. This process was repeated three times for each body part of the adults, larvae, and egg-laying parts.

Using RNA sequencing technology, scientists examined the genes in different parts of the fruit fly’s body to understand how they respond to stimuli. This method helped identify active and inactive genes in various body parts, shedding light on how Drosophila adapts to its environment. The RNA data was stored in the Genomics Database for future research purposes.

The researchers observed that specific genes controlling smell and taste in fruit flies vary in their activation patterns. Changes in gene activity were influenced by factors like temperature, humidity, and interactions with other organisms. Differences in gene activity between male and female fruit flies were also noted, potentially impacting their mate selection.

The complexity of gene regulation in fruit fly sensory organs may vary across species and sexes, affecting their adaptation to diet and habitat changes. Further research is needed to understand the genetic basis of odor patterns in fruit flies and how it aids in their adaptation.

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Source: sciworthy.com

Research: How small structures in the wax coating of blue-pigmented fruit contribute to its blue color

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It is perhaps surprising that fruits with blue pigments are less common, since many visually guided fruit eaters have eyes highly adapted to blue sensitivity. However, some fruits do not contain blue pigment. In a new study, scientists from the University of Bristol and elsewhere investigated dark fruits with wax blooms, such as blueberries, plums and juniper cones, and found that structural color mechanisms are involved in their appearance. Did.

The structural color of the wax bloom gives the fruit a blue appearance across a wide range of accessions. (A) Undamaged highbush blueberries growing on the plant. (B) Blueberry (i) unmodified wax, (ii) mechanical wax removal, (iii) chloroform wax removal, (iv) surface application of (approximately) index-matched oil, (v) surface application of water; (vi) peeling off the outer skin to expose the pulp; (vii) the underside of the peeled skin; (C) Transmission light microscopy of a blueberry peel peeled from the inner edge showing red pigmentation of epidermal cells. Scale bar – 200 μm. (D) (i and ii) Plum selection (Plum) Fruits with different cell pigmentation, (i) with wax intact and (ii) with wax removed.Image credit: Middleton other., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk4219.

“You can't 'extract' the blue color from blueberries by crushing them, because blueberries are not present in the highly pigmented juice that can be squeezed from the fruit,” said lead author Dr Rocks Middleton, a researcher at the University of Bristol.

“That's why I knew there had to be something strange about this color.”

“So we removed the wax and recrystallized it on the card. In doing so, we were able to create a completely new blue UV coating.”

This ultra-thin colorant is about 2 microns thick, has a low reflectance, but looks blue and reflects UV well, potentially paving the way for new colorant methods.

“This shows that nature has evolved to use a very neat trick: an extremely thin layer of a vital colorant,” Dr Middleton said.

Most plants are covered with a thin layer of wax, which has multiple functions, many of which are still unknown to scientists.

They know that it is highly effective as a hydrophobic, self-cleaning coating, but only now have they realized how important this structure is for visible coloration.

Now Dr. Middleton and colleagues plan to look at easier ways to recreate and apply the coating.

This could lead to the development of more sustainable, biocompatible, and even edible UV- and blue-reflecting paints.

Additionally, these coatings may have multiple functions similar to natural biological coatings that protect plants.

“It was really interesting to discover that there was an unknown coloration mechanism just beneath the surface of the popular fruit that we grow and eat all the time,” Dr Middleton said.

“It was even more exciting to be able to recreate that color by taking wax and creating a new blue coating that no one had ever seen before.”

“Our dream is to incorporate all the functionality of this natural wax into a man-made material.”

of result It was published in the magazine scientific progress.

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Rocks Middleton other. 2024. Self-organized disordered structural colors from fruit wax blooms. scientific progress 10(6); doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk4219

Source: www.sci.news